Department for Transport

Public Transport: Finance

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to allocate funding to City Regions for the improvement of their (a) bus, (b) tram and (c) train services; and what level of funding will be allocated to the Sheffield City Region.

George Freeman: The Government is committed to investing in infrastructure and levelling up across the country and has developed the £2.5 billion Transforming Cities Fund to improve public transport with a focus on trains, trams and buses. The Sheffield City Region Combined Authority has submitted a bid for a share of the £1.22 billion in the second round of the competitive element of the fund. The Department has supported the Combined Authority in developing their plans to ensure they have maximum benefit. In addition, £4.2bn of funding is planned for improving transport infrastructure in major city regions. More detail on future funding levels for these areas will be announced later this year.

M1

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department undertook a public consultation before to the decision to proceed with the conversion of Junctions 34-35A of the M1 to an all lanes running system.

George Freeman: The Highways Agency held a public consultation, from 17 December 2012 to 11 February 2013, on the proposed regulations to introduce variable mandatory speed limits on the M1 junctions 32 to 35A smart motorway scheme.

Railways: Croydon

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to fund the project to unblock the Croydon Bottleneck in Control Period 6.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We recognise the need to improve capacity on the Brighton Mainline. Rail enhancements are funded in stages, ensuring that the basis for investment remains sound at each stage in the project life-cycle. The next decision point for this scheme is May 2020 and the allocation of additional funding will depend on a robust business case and local support, including stakeholders and beneficiaries partnering with my Department on funding and integration with other transport modes and the wider public realm.

Motorways: Safety

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost was of retrofitting Stopped Vehicle Detection systems to existing stretches of All Lane Running motorways in 2019; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: In 2019 Highways England’s expenditure cost for retrofitting Stopped Vehicle Detection (SVD) was £289,000.

Motorways: Safety

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost was of retrofitting new emergency refuge areas to existing stretches of all lane running motorways in 2019; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: In 2019 Highways England’s expenditure cost for retrofitting emergency areas was £1.8 million.

Electric Vehicles: Worcestershire

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric car charging points have been installed in (a) Worcestershire, (b) Malvern Hills District Council area and (c) Wychavon District Council area.

George Freeman: The Government does not hold records of public chargepoints. According to data from Zapmap, as of 1 October 2019 there are 97 chargepoints (of which 46 are rapid) in the Worcestershire area. In the district council area of Malvern Hills there are 12 chargepoints (of which 4 are rapid) and in Wychavon district council, 21 chargepoints (of which 10 are rapid). My Right Hon Friend the Secretary of State has recently written to local authorities across the country, urging them to take advantage of funding on offer to build up their electric car charging infrastructure and to increase local access to chargepoints for drivers.

Manchester Metrolink

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding is available to Transport for Greater Manchester for the expansion of the Metrolink network.

George Freeman: The Government is committed to investing in infrastructure and levelling up across the county and has developed the Transforming Cities Fund to improve public transport with a focus on trains, trams and buses. Greater Manchester will receive a total of £312.5 million in Mayoral Transforming Cities Fund allocations. Of this, £83 million has been allocated to provide additional tram capacity on the Metrolink network through the procurement of 27 additional Metrolink trams and associated supporting infrastructure. In addition, a further £4.2 billion of funding is planned for improving transport infrastructure in major cities. More detail on future funding levels for cities will be announced later this year

Manchester Metrolink

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the viability of tram-train services in Greater Manchester.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department continues to engage with Transport for Greater Manchester on Tram Train development including sharing the lessons from the Tram Train pilot in Sheffield. We await more detail on their proposals.

TransPennine Express Rail Franchise

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions officials of his Department has had with representatives of TransPennine Express on the future of that franchise following the proposed changes to the Northern franchise.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department is in the process of developing plans to replace the current Northern franchise with either a new short-term management contract with Arriva Rail North, or the Operator of Last Resort (OLR) and a decision will be made by the end of January. In the meantime we continue to challenge TPE on making improvements for rail passengers. We have been clear with the operator that it must take urgent steps to address its poor performance problems and indeed only last week my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State called in executives from TPE and other industry bodies to reinforce this point. If appropriate, we will take action under the terms set out in the Franchise Agreement.

Railways: Pennines

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on (a) the electrification of, (b) the introduction of new rolling stock to and (c) other improvements to TransPennine services on the Huddersfield rail line.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The TransPennine Route Upgrade programme is expected to be the Government’s biggest single investment in our country’s existing railway in the next five years. We expect to make a decision later this year to progress the programme to the next phase of design and construction, during which we will confirm our approach to electrification and other improvement activity. As part of its £500m investment in trains, TransPennine Express (TPE) is currently introducing three state-of-the-art fleets made up of 44 new trains into passenger service, which will provide 13 million extra seats a year once they are all in service in 2020. Passengers along the Huddersfield line will benefit from these high quality trains and their extra capacity - equivalent to a rise of more than 80 per cent on a seven day a week timetable across the TPE network. The above demonstrates that this Government is committed to levelling up all parts of this country.

Heathrow Airport

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is the Government's policy to support a third runway at Heathrow airport; and what assessment he has made of the potential cost of that programme.

Paul Maynard: The Airports National Policy Statement was designated as government policy in June 2018 following a vote in the House of Commons. It sets out that there is a need to increase airport capacity in the South East of England by 2030 by constructing one new runway and that this need is best met by the Northwest runway scheme at Heathrow Airport. Expansion is a private sector project, therefore the cost of the scheme is a matter for Heathrow, who are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority. It is for Heathrow to demonstrate that the project can be financed and built and that the business case is realistic. The Northwest runway scheme will receive no public money.

Railways: Franchises

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department uses to determine rail operators compliance with their franchise obligations; and what recent assessment he has made of South Western Railway compliance with the obligations and provisions of its franchise.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department monitors rail operators’ compliance with Franchise Obligations on an on-going basis through comprehensive periodic reporting obligations placed on operators under the Franchise Agreement, and review of evidence of progress and satisfaction of committed obligations. Where non-compliance with Terms of the Franchise Agreement are identified, the Secretary of State makes use of his powers under the Railways Act 1993 to take any action he considers necessary or appropriate to secure compliance, including the exercise of his contractual rights to require remedial action to be taken. South Western Railway have currently exceeded the Breach threshold for Cancellations and Minutes Delay, for which a Remedial Plan is currently under discussion with the operator. The Department has also identified two further non-compliances with the Franchise Agreement where contractual deadlines were not met, both of which have been remedied without the need for enforcement action to be taken to secure delivery.

South western rail franchise

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the financial performance data on South Western Railway published on Companies House on 3 January 2019, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) terminating South Western Railway’s franchise contract and (b) revising the terms of that contract.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department monitors train operators closely to ensure delivery of services for passengers and value for money for taxpayers. As part of responsible contingency planning, we have measures in place on every franchise intended to protect the interests of passengers and taxpayers and ensure that services keep running. All commercial discussions about franchises are confidential but updates will be provided to Parliament at the appropriate time.

South western rail franchise

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to provide clarity to South Western Railway passengers on the future of that company's franchise.

Chris Heaton-Harris: South Western Railway’s passengers can expect there to be no material impact on the railway’s day-to-day operations. The business will continue to operate as usual with no material impact on SWR services or staff. Parliament will be kept informed as and when there are any developments to be reported.

South Western Railway

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to require South Western Railway to compensate passengers for the services lost during strikes in December 2019 based on the original pre-strike timetable.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Passengers are entitled to compensation under the Delay Repay scheme for delays of 15 minutes or more against the published timetable on SWR. The Department are considering all options available to ensure passengers are compensated for this disruption.

South Western Railway

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 7 January 2020 to Question 353 on South Western Railway: Strikes, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure passengers are compensated for the disruption caused by the industrial action by South Western Railway staff in December 2019.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department are considering a variety of options to compensate passengers. These options are being considered in the context of both the length of the period of disruption and the service that South Western continued to operate throughout this period thanks to the hard work of contingency guards, who worked throughout the holiday period to keep passengers moving. A further update will be provided in due course.

Cycling

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish new standards for cycle infrastructure design.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department will shortly be publishing revised guidance for local authorities on designing safe and efficient cycling infrastructure, which will need to be considered when setting local standards.

Tyne and Wear Metro: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to extend Tyne and Wear Metro Services into Easington constituency.

Chris Heaton-Harris: I am aware that Nexus have identified several possible extensions to the Tyne and Wear Metro system. As this is a locally managed system, it would be for Nexus to identify which of these would be the most effective and to develop a business case and seek funding accordingly. The Government is committed to improving local transport. We will create a £4.2 billion Local Public Transport Fund so city regions can upgrade their bus, train and tram services to make them as good as London’s – with more frequent, modern and environmentally friendly services.

Cycling and Walking

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish its recent research on the investment needed to deliver Government cycling and walking targets.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The research has been completed and the Department is planning to publish the technical report shortly, which summarises the key evidence considered, alongside the first report on progress made towards delivering the aims and ambitions set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS).

Tyne and Wear Metro

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has for the (a) long-term revenue and (b) long-term capital funding for the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Chris Heaton-Harris: This Government is committed to the future of the Tyne and Wear Metro system. We have invested nearly £600m towards renewals and running costs and I am currently considering future long term investment commitments to support this vital transport system to the region. Furthermore, in the 2017 Autumn Budget, the Chancellor announced a £337m direct grant to deliver a new fleet of trains for the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Tidal Power

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to support the tidal energy sector.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Renewable electricity generation has more than quadrupled since 2010. A record 52.6% of electricity came from low-carbon sources in 2018.   We have the world’s largest offshore wind capacity at 9.8GW with CfD auction prices for offshore wind falling by two-thirds between 2015 and 2019.Tidal energy could still have a potentially important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK. It has to reduce its costs sufficiently, however, to compete with other renewable technologies.

Climate Change Convention

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what her timetable is for publishing the UK’s increased Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as required by the Paris Agreement; where she plans to publish the NDCs; and how she plans to consult (a) hon. Members and (b) the public in advance of publishing that information.

Kwasi Kwarteng: At the UN Climate Action Summit in September, my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister called on all countries to raise the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The UK will play its part and come forward with an increased NDC this year, in good time ahead of COP26. The UK’s NDC will be communicated to the UNFCCC and published on the UNFCCC NDC registry, in line with our commitments under the Paris Agreement. The Government will keep Parliament informed. The Government consults on its policies and proposals to reduce emissions through the process of setting carbon budgets and in preparing published plans for meeting them, most recently the Clean Growth Strategy. As the policies and proposals in the Clean Growth Strategy are developed and implemented over time, they too will be subject to public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny as part of the normal regulatory process. We will use the opportunity of hosting the COP26 negotiations to shine a spotlight on ambitious action by governments, businesses and people around the world, and to continue to drive greater global climate ambition. This follows the UK becoming the first major economy to set a date for ending our contribution to global warming, enshrining in legislation in June 2019 a commitment to meet net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Solar Power

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what her policy is on the extent of deployment of solar PV in 2020; and if she will make a statement.

Kwasi Kwarteng: We are now exceeding our historic projections on solar PV deployment. In 2013 we estimated that solar capacity would reach between 10 and 12GW by 2020, however latest figures indicate we now have more than 13.3GW of solar PV capacity installed in the UK - enough to power over 3 million UK homes. The prospects of subsidy-free solar PV are becoming increasingly realistic for developers; several solar PV sites have already deployed, and we expect to see more.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Gillian Keegan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans she has in place to develop UK offshore wind generation capacity that meets net zero emissions targets and protects internationally important marine species and habitats.

Kwasi Kwarteng: We acknowledge the role of offshore wind in achieving the net zero target. We have provided more support for offshore wind than any other country in the world, helping us to reach record levels of renewable electricity generation in 2019. The UK accounts for around one third of world’s offshore wind capacity and has the world’s largest offshore wind market with 9.8GW of installed capacity which is expected to rise to 14GW by 2023 and 19.5GW by 2026. We know that our European neighbours will also be deploying more offshore wind in shared sea spaces such as the North Sea. This continued pace of deployment drives the need to better understand the cumulative impacts. We are collaboratively working with the sector and wider stakeholders to address strategic deployment issues including cumulative environmental impacts on marine species and habitats.

Renewable Energy

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason solar PV and onshore wind are excluded from the Contract for Difference auctions.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Government keeps the CfD scheme under review and announces the scope of allocation rounds before each round commences. No decisions have yet been made on the future of allocation rounds for established technologies such as onshore wind and solar PV.

Smart Export Guarantee

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether she will consider introducing a minimum floor price to the Smart Export Guarantee.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The SEG has been successful in bringing forward a range of competitive offerings to the market. Renewable generators now have several tariffs to choose from, in some cases even higher than the FIT export tariff.The Government will continue to monitor the types of export tariffs being offered to small generators to assess the development of the small-scale low-carbon export market. The Government will keep the operation of SEG under review.

Solar Power: Staff

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy,  how many people were employed in the UK solar industry in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018 and (e) 2019.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The ONS produces estimates of the size of the UK’s green economy from the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy Survey. Estimates for employment in the UK solar industry from 2015-2018 are listed below. Estimates for 2019 are not yet available. Comparing estimates from the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy Survey from 2014 with estimates from later years of the survey is not advised because of changes in the sample methodology in 2015. The survey sample size was reduced from around 40,000 in 2014 to around 14,000 in 2015.Employment (full time equivalent)  20142015201620172018  EstimateEstimateEstimateEstimateEstimateSolar photovoltaicUK9,8009,9004,9005,4006,600 England8,8009,3004,4005,0005,600 Scotland300300200100300 Wales500200100200500 Northern Ireland200~200100200

Fireworks: Regulation

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer to Question 119263 of 18 December 2017 on Fireworks: Antisocial Behaviour, to Question 119263, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of strengthening existing regulations on the (a) supply, (b) storage, (c) possession and (d) use of fireworks.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is developing a fact-based evidence base on the key issues that have been raised around fireworks. This includes looking at data on noise and disturbance, anti-social behaviour, non-compliance, environmental impact, and the impact on humans and animals. This will build a full picture of the data around fireworks in order to identify whether any further action is appropriate.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Security

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many incidents of security breaches involving (a) unescorted visitors and (b) visitors with inadequate security clearance in secure areas being used by contracted staff were reported at his Department in each month from April to November 2019.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Holding answer received on 20 January 2020



​a) 2018​​2019​​​​​​​​​​​ OctNov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Unescorted visitors1211071277888675112b) All those who visit the Foreign and Commonwealth Office without requisite Government security clearance must be escorted. FCO contractors are appropriately security cleared to be able to undertake their duties around the premises. We seek to reduce the number of breaches being committed through targeted communications and training offers including specific briefings to departments with poor breach records.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Interserve

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many reports of (a) uncompleted cleanliness tasks and (b) rodents were reported to Interserve at his Department's headquarters in each month from April 2019 to November 2019.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Holding answer received on 20 January 2020



The Facilities Management Client Unit measure the delivery of key areas of Interserve performance in line with contracted service standards.For reactive cleaning requests we measure the performance against the initial response time and the rectification time. The cleaning figures attached represent the number of occasions where Interserve failed to meet the contracted standard and the representative percentage based on the total number of tasks reported. The level of cleaning performance is generally within contracted tolerances and is monitored on a monthly basis as part of contractual governance procedures. Where failures exceed tolerances, these are assessed and actions taken with the Service Provider to address them. Where rodents are reported, visits are made to the rooms to ensure adequate prevention methods are in place and that no food is left out overnight.



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Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Interserve

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many planned preventative maintenance issues were missed by Interserve at his Department's main building in each month from April 2019 to November 2019.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Holding answer received on 20 January 2020



The Facilities Management Client Unit measure the delivery of key areas of Interserve performance in line with contracted service standards.The figures below represent the number of planned preventative maintenance (PPM) tasks that were not delivered in month and in accordance with the contracted standard and the representative percentage based on the total number of PPMs due in the month.Performance in relation to PPMs is monitored on a monthly basis as part of contractual governance procedures. In the main performance is within contracted tolerances. Where failures exceed contracted tolerances, these are assessed and actions taken with the Service Provider to address them. A new PPM regime was instigated from February 2019 under a new contractual arrangement. È  PPMs failed  No.%2018April31.25May00June00July00August00September00October00November00December002019January00February21.1March10.38April10.4May324.9June9111.5July566.3August334.1September163.1October307.4November00December20.4

Huawei: 5G

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpoint in the US on shared intelligence and Huawei's proposed role in developing the UK's 5G network.

Christopher Pincher: Widespread deployment of 5G and full fibre networks is a primary objective of Government policy. The Government published the Telecoms Supply Chain Review in July, which recommended the introduction of a new framework for telecoms security based on evidence and a hard-headed assessment of the risks. The Government has not yet made a final decision on individual high risk vendors and the additional controls that will be applied to them. The security of the United Kingdom's telecoms networks is of paramount importance and high-risk vendors never have been and never will be in our most sensitive networks.The United States and United Kingdom are strong partners and allies. Ministers and officials engage with the United States and other partners on a regular basis on a wide range of economic and security issues including telecom security.

India: Nationality

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations made to his Indian counterpart on protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 in that country.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions across India are following reports on the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens, as well as the Government of India’s response. We raise our concerns with the Government of India where appropriate. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon discussed the Government of India’s intent with the CAA, and public response to the legislation, with India’s Minister of State for External Affairs on 19 December 2019. The British High Commissioner in New Delhi also raised this issue with the Indian Government on 6 January.India has a proud history of inclusive government and religious tolerance. Post-election, Prime Minister Modi promised to continue this under the guiding principles of “together with all, development for all, trust of all”. We trust the Government of India will provide reassurances to its citizens who are expressing concern about the impact this legislation may have. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Russia: Subversion

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish the report from the Intelligence and Security Committee on Russia.

Christopher Pincher: ​In line with his responsibilities in the Justice and Security Act 2013, the Prime Minister carefully considered and approved the report, and is content that its publication would not prejudice the functions of those bodies that safeguard our national security.We acknowledge the public's interest in the publication of the report; however the report itself is the property of the independent Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). As such it is not for the Government to publish it; it is for the ISC to lay it before Parliament. Once a new Committee has been established, it will be up to them to choose when they wish to publish it. The process to establish a new Committee has already begun.

Department of Health and Social Care

Gender Recognition: Children

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the prescription of hormone blocking medication to minors.

Jo Churchill: The matter is subject to an ongoing legal process and therefore the Department is unable to comment pending judicial ruling.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that Kings Brooks, iCaSH Bedfordshire reopens recruitment for gay and bisexual men on the PrEP impact trial.

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that gay and bisexual men in Bedford constituency have access to places on the PrEP impact trial.

Jo Churchill: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is currently provided in England through the three-year PrEP Impact Trial. Participation in the trial is on a voluntary basis and it is for clinics and local authorities to decide the number of allocated places they can accept. The PrEP Impact Trial website includes a map showing the distribution of the 154 clinics level 3 Sexual Health Services participating in the trial at the following link:www.prepimpacttrial.org.uk

North Middlesex University Hospital

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to improve performance and safety at the North Middlesex University hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The most recent Care Quality Commission inspection, published in October 2019, gave an overall rating of requires improvement to the North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust.To assist with improving performance, the Trust has been allocated additional winter monies. This has provided more capacity to meet the anticipated increase in the numbers of emergency patients.Broader responses, in areas such as community and social care, are being coordinated through the local accident and emergency (A&E) Delivery Board and include the provision of additional primary care capacity in Enfield and a two-hour rapid response service.Ambulance turnaround and response times are being addressed through the transfer of low priority calls to 111 clinical assessment service, freeing up London Ambulance Service and reducing the number of unnecessary admissions to A&E. Additionally, the introduction of mental health professional’s working with paramedics in ambulance cars is helping to reduce transports to local emergency departments, and thereby assisting in reducing demand on services.

General Practitioners: Enfield

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients per GP there have been in (a) Edmonton and (b) Enfield borough in each year since 2010.

Jo Churchill: The number of doctors, nurses and other direct patient care staff per patient working in general practice in NHS Enfield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in each year since 2015 has been provided in the attached table. General practitioner (GP) locums are excluded as improvements have been made to GP locum recording methodology and figures are not comparable across the time series. Data is not included prior to 2015 as improvements were made to the methodology for recording all staff working in general practice in September 2015 and data prior to this is not comparable.  



table 3269
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Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to expedite access to the whole-plant extract of prescribed medical cannabis containing cannabidiol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol which consultants have prescribed to some severely epileptic children; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made in enabling access to NHS prescriptions for whole-plant-extract medical cannabis containing cannabidiol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol since the August 2019 NHS process evaluation report entitled Barriers to Accessing Cannabis Based Products for Medicinal Use; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) demonstrate a clear need for more evidence to support prescribing and funding decisions of cannabis-based medicines (whole-plant extract or otherwise) across all conditions covered in the report. We are working hard with the health system, industry and researchers to improve the knowledge base available. Central to this, NHS England and NHS Improvement are working closely with partners to deliver all recommendations from the NHS process evaluation report entitled ‘Barriers to Accessing Cannabis Based Products for Medicinal Use’. The following progress has been made: - On 20 December 2019 a letter was published reminding prescribers of General Medical Council guidance on the prescribing and use of unlicensed medicines – and to clarify the procedure for prescribing and supplying cannabis-based products for medicinal use; - The National Institute for Health Research has run two research calls for applications on medicinal cannabis. Following these, a workshop was held including applicants, NHS England and NHS Improvement, the Department and other research experts. We expect this to have halved the time required to design and gain funding agreement for a safe and high quality clinical trial. Researchers are expected to involve patients in both the design and delivery of the research; - Funding has been fast-tracked by NHS England and NHS Improvement and is available from 6 January 2020 for patients who fulfil the criteria for the recently published NICE Technology Appraisals for the use of cannabidiol in conjunction with clobazam for adjuvant treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes. This will improve access to licensed cannabis-based products for appropriate patients. NICE guidelines on the prescribing of cannabis-based medicines also recommend Sativex to treat moderate to severe spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis; - A new Refractory Epilepsy Specialist Clinical Advisory Network is being established and will launch shortly. This will make a positive addition to the current well-established clinical networks; and - A patient registry is being developed with input from specialist clinicians and other advisory bodies.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS prescriptions for whole-plant-extract prescribed medical cannabis containing cannabidiol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol have been issued since access to medical cannabis was legalised on 1 November 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and NHS Improvement are using existing systems to monitor use of the newly rescheduled unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use in England. In England, these systems monitor the number of items dispensed and associated costs in primary care and the volume of products used and associated cost in secondary care.The NHS Business Services Authority is only able to provide information on prescriptions for cannabis-based medicines that have been prescribed and submitted to the NHS Business Services Authority. It does not hold information on prescriptions for cannabis-based medicines which have been issued but not fulfilled.Between November 2018 and October 2019, 19 items for unlicensed cannabis-based medicines that were prescribed on a National Health Service prescription, dispensed in the community and submitted to the NHS Business Services Authority for reimbursement.The NHS Business Services Authority does not collect data on whether an unlicensed cannabis-based medicine is a whole-plant extract. The licensed cannabis-based medicines Sativex, Nabilone and Epidyolex are not whole-plant extracts, so no data has been provided on these products.

Tranquillisers: Prescriptions

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescriptions were issued for tranquillisers in each year from 2015 to date, which exceeded the Committee on Safety of Medicines two to four week guidelines issued in 1988.

Jo Churchill: The Department does not hold the information requested as the NHS Business Services Authority does not capture the duration for which a prescription is intended to be used.

Smoking: Public Buildings

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ban smoking at the entrances of public buildings.

Jo Churchill: The Government has a track record of reducing the harm caused by tobacco and the United Kingdom is considered a world leader in tobacco control. We have been rated the best in Europe on tobacco control by independent experts. However, we are not complacent: tobacco legislation is kept under review to ensure it continues to protect the public’s health.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) parents, (b) adoptive parents and (c) kinship carers of young people requiring additional Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services treatment in (a) the City of York and (b) the UK.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Children and Young People’s Green Paper, published by the Government in 2017, highlighted the importance of supporting families with children at risk of developing mental health problems in England. We have therefore commissioned further research into engaging vulnerable families in parenting and parental conflict programmes, and how local areas can encourage evidence-based commissioning of interventions aimed at supporting parents and carers.Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust provides support based on need for all parents and guardians of children in York who need to access mental health services.

Mental Health Services: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the effective use of community resources  to promote children’s mental health and wellbeing in (a) the City of York and b) the UK.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group, York City Council and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust provide a number of community-based services in the City of York, targeting early identification and intervention to support children’s mental health and wellbeing such as: - a mental health lead in midwifery, working with expectant mothers and with the perinatal mental health team to support prevention of mental health difficulties for children and young people;- health visitors supporting new mothers and liaising with the perinatal service and early help services;- an early help service in York, which works with parents, offering parenting support, mental health awareness advice and signposting and working with statutory and voluntary agencies;- a school wellbeing service, which provides mental health workers in all schools in the city, including special schools and the pupil referral unit, to develop capacity in schools to promote positive mental wellbeing and identify pupils with difficulties early.

Mental Health Act 1983 Independent Review

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish his White Paper on reforming the Mental Health Act 1983.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We will publish our White Paper in the next few months, which will set out the Government’s response to Sir Simon Wessely’s Independent Review of the Mental Health Act.Our intention is that this White Paper will pave the way for reform to the Mental Health Act 1983, and tackle issues addressed by the Review. We will ensure that people subject to the Act receive better care and have a much greater say in that care. We will consult publicly on our proposals and we will bring forward a Bill to amend the Act when parliamentary time allows.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will convene a meeting between NHS England, Public Health England, the Local Government Association, London Councils and HIV stakeholders to ensure that the routine commissioning of PrEP is rolled out as soon as possible.

Jo Churchill: The Department is continuing to work with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Public Health England and local authorities to plan for routine commissioning of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) from April 2020.The Department, Public Health England and NHS England and NHS Improvement meet regularly to plan for a smooth transition to routine commissioning of PrEP, and Departmental officials also discuss this topic regularly with the Local Government Association, London councils and HIV stakeholders.

Public Health: Finance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will publish the full allocations for the Public Health Grant for 2020-21; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Local authority public health allocations for 2020/21 will be published shortly.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what level of funding his Department has made available for drug addiction treatment in (a) the UK (b) Bristol.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the trends in the level of heroin-related deaths in (a) the UK and (b) Bristol.

Jo Churchill: Spending on health care, including drug treatment services is a devolved matter. In England, local authorities are responsible for the commissioning and uptake of drug treatment services. They are funded to do so through the public health grant. In 2019-20, £3.1 billion has been provided for public health services, including drug treatment. Any death related to drug use is an avoidable tragedy. Heroin-related deaths are rising across the United Kingdom, including in Bristol. This increase is linked to an ageing group of older heroin users with multiple and complex needs and in increasingly poor health. Half of opiate-related deaths occur among those who have never – or have not for several years – been in drug treatment.

Naloxone

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of naloxone for preventing death caused by heroin overdose.

Jo Churchill: No assessment has been made on the adequacy of the availability of naloxone for preventing death caused by heroin overdose.Local authorities are responsible for assessing local needs and commissioning drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction services to meet these needs. This includes making sure they have sufficient coverage of naloxone to prevent drug-related deaths.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will undertake a review of the adequacy of dedicated perinatal mental health services.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department has no such plans. We are committed to improving perinatal mental health services for new mothers and their partners in England. From April 2019, new and expectant mothers have been able to access specialist perinatal mental health community services in every part of the country. The NHS Long Term Plan includes a commitment for a further 24,000 women to be able to access specialist perinatal mental health care by 2023/24, building on the additional 30,000 women who will access these services each year by 2020/21 under pre-existing plans. Specialist care will also be available from preconception to 24 months after birth, which will provide an extra year of support.

Occupational Health

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the potential savings to the NHS of the provision of cognitive behavioural therapy services by employers.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government is exploring a range of policy options aiming to reduce ill-health related job loss.The consultation ‘Health is Everyone’s Business: Proposals to Reduce Ill Health-related Job Loss’ closed in October 2019. It set out proposals to boost Government support available to employers to support employees who are managing health conditions in work and to manage sickness absence more effectively. It included proposals to encourage employers to take early, sustained and proportionate steps to support a sick employee to return to work.While people with health conditions need timely delivery of effective treatment, available evidence shows that treatment alone is not enough to address occupational health issues.

Nurses: Hertford and Stortford

Julie Marson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the 50,000 more nurses outlined in the Queen's Speech will be allocated to Hertford and Stortford constituency; and when will those nurses be available.

Edward Argar: The Government commitment is to ensure 50,000 more nurses in the National Health Service by 2025. No individual target has been set for specific areas of England.It is the responsibility of individual NHS trusts to have staffing arrangements in place that deliver safe and effective care. This includes recruiting the staff needed to support these levels and meet local needs.

Hospitals: Ventilation

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) his Department and (b) the NHS has issued guidance on the use of Dyson bladeless fans in clinical areas of hospitals.

Edward Argar: National Health Service staff take every precaution to ensure that the equipment they use are sterile and do not pass on bacteria and viruses. NHS England and NHS Improvement issued an Estates and Facilities Alert in January 2019 in relation to the risk of cross infection relating to all type of portable fans in health and social care facilities. It is for local teams to decide how best to manage this and keep their patients safe.

Social Services

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish his proposals for the future of social care.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government will bring forward a plan for social care this year.Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society.There are complex questions to address, which is why we will seek to build cross-party consensus, but we have been clear: everybody will have safety and security, and nobody will be forced to sell their home to pay for care.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with representatives from Croydon University Hospital in relation to the pause in recruitment for (a) gay and (b) bisexual men for the PrEP impact trial.

Jo Churchill: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is currently provided in England through the three-year PrEP Impact Trial. Participation in the trial is on a voluntary basis and it is for clinics and local authorities to decide the number of allocated places they can accept. The Department has held no discussions with representatives from Croydon University Hospital in relation to the pause in recruitment for gay and bisexual men.

Eating Disorders: Mental Health Services

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce an (a) access and (b) waiting time standard for adults with eating disorders in England.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The NHS Long Term Plan commits the National Health Service to testing and rolling out waiting time standards for adults in selected areas. Twelve areas in England have received over £70 million of transformation funding in 2019/20 and 2020/21 to test new integrated models of primary and community mental health care for adults. Eight of these sites are implementing innovative service models that will improve access and quality for adults and older adults with eating disorders in line with new national guidance on adult eating disorder care. It is important with any new standards are clinically appropriate, and ambitious yet achievable. We are starting by testing four-week waiting times for adults and children to build the evidence, before rolling out new standards across the NHS.

NHS: Pensions

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the effect of the NHS pension scheme on staffing in the (a) NHS and (b) primary care sector.

Edward Argar: The Department recognises that the annual allowance may contribute to decisions from National Health Service consultants to retire early or limit their NHS commitments, although a precise estimate of the change in staffing levels as a result of pension tax is not available. The Government is listening carefully to concerns raised by senior doctors and NHS employers about the tapered annual allowance.In September 2019 guidance was issued by NHS Employers informing employers of the short-term approaches that they could take to mitigate the effect of pension tax on their workforce this tax year. The NHS has also implemented an immediate measure to preserve clinical capacity amid the increased pressure on services during the winter period. This will compensate NHS clinicians for the effect on their pensions of annual allowance charges incurred in 2019-20.The Department has consulted on introducing flexibility within the NHS Pension Scheme from 2019/20 to allow clinicians affected by annual allowance tax charges to reduce their pension accrual in deciles in order to manage any potential annual allowance tax charges.As part of a wider drive to ensure the NHS has the staff it needs to meet demand and transform care, the Government is carrying out an urgent review of the pensions annual allowance taper problem that has caused some doctors to turn down extra shifts for fear of high tax bills. On 13 January, Ministers held a roundtable with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the British Medical Association and other representative organisations as part of this review to find a long-term solution.The review will consider the findings from the Department’s consultation on pension flexibility and will report at the Budget on 11 March.

Department for International Development

Angola: Droughts

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to support people affected by recent droughts in Angola.

Andrew Stephenson: Southern Africa is facing an urgent humanitarian crisis due to drought and other climate-related and economic factors. In southern Angola over 500,000 people are experiencing crisis-level food insecurity. The UK is pushing to put this crisis on the international agenda. DFID is supporting the regional response through our contributions to multilaterals, notably the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The UK is the largest overall contributor to the CERF since its inception. The CERF has so far allocated approximately £4.8 million to the response in Angola. Through Regional Vulnerability Analysis and Assessment (RVAA) programme, led by the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the UK is supporting assessments to inform humanitarian and resilience responses, including in Angola.

Department for International Development: Pay

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether his Department complies with the requirement set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

Dr Andrew Murrison: DFID, like all Government Departments, has an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives, as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code. In line with this legislative obligation, set out in the Trade Union Act (2016), information relating to facility time for relevant union officials is published annually, with facility time defined by that Act as including time off taken by a relevant union official that is permitted by the official’s employer (including where this arises under “regulations made under section 2(4) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974”).

Department for International Development: Trade Unions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation affects the right of recognised unions in his Department to bargaining information as set out in Section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has not affected the rights of recognised Unions in DFID to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Africa: Exports

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the compliance of the TradeConnect initiative with Official Development Assistance requirements.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Trade Connect, a new £20m programme to help firms in developing countries remove ‘last mile barriers to export’, is focused on creating jobs and raising incomes to promote sustainable economic growth. The programme has been assessed to be compliant with the terms of spending ODA under the International Development Act 2002. The Trade Connect programme will help firms export to more to international markets and will not be restricted to direct trade with the UK or UK Companies.

Africa: Exports

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect on development impact of the TradeConnect initiative.

Dr Andrew Murrison: At the UK-Africa Investment Summit on 20 January 2020, the UK announced its commitment to helping African countries break down barriers for trade and investment. We are strengthening Britain’s trading partnerships with an offer that supports both British and African businesses to trade more and grow faster.The new £20million Trade Connect programme will help businesses in developing countries overcome these barriers and sell more internationally. TradeConnect will therefore contribute to development by supporting growth creation in targeted firms and sectors.

UK-Africa Investment Summit

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the UK Africa Investment Summit 2020; and what proportion of that cost will be met from the Official Development Assistance budget.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will publish the itemised costs of the UK Africa Investment Summit 2020.

Andrew Stephenson: As with all such Government events, the full costing will be available in due course. 2020 UK ODA spend, including for this Summit, will be reported in Statistics on International Development, published by DFID in Autumn 2021. I am placing a summary of achievements at the Summit in the Library of the House.

UK-Africa Investment Summit

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will publish the (a) invitees and (b) attendees of the January 2020 UK-Africa investment summit.

Andrew Stephenson: The Summit brought together African leaders and delegations from 21 countries: Algeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda. Six multilateral organisations and international financial institutions also participated: the African Development Bank, the African Union, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations and the World Bank. In addition, hundreds of UK and African business representatives and representatives from Civil Society Organisations attended the Summit.

UK-Africa Investment Summit

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will publish the names of the members of African civil society that were invited to the UK-Africa Investment Summit 2020.

Andrew Stephenson: The Summit brought together, amongst others, hundreds of UK and African business representatives and representatives from Civil Society Organisations. Forty entrepreneurs from Africa, owning smaller businesses, participated. The Government has also organised more than ten events in the lead-up to, and as follow-up to, the Summit to gather views from a range of stakeholders, including African Civil Society Organisations.

UK-Africa Investment Summit

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether representatives of CDC will be present at the UK-Africa Investment Summit.

Andrew Stephenson: CDC assisted in planning for, and attended, the Summit. Graham Wrigley, CDC’s Chairman, also moderated one of the business panels.

Department for Education

Secondary Education: Enfield

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary school places were available in (a) Edmonton constituency and (b) Enfield borough in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Department collects pupil forecasts, existing school capacities, and plans to deliver additional school places from each local authority via the annual school capacity survey which can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-capacity.The Department only collects data at local authority and planning area level, and so do not hold constituency level data. Over 5,000 new school places have been created in Enfield local authority since 2010.Table 1: Secondary capacity in Enfield since 2010Academic Year2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18Enfield23,91424,58524,61524,00028,23027,90128,53328,71729,394 The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. We provide basic need funding for every place that is needed, based on local authorities’ own data on pupil forecasts. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools, and can work with any school in their local area, including academies and free schools. Enfield has been allocated £122.7 million to provide new school places from 2011-2021.

Schools: Plastics

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department issues to schools on the (a) use and (b) recycling of plastics.

Michelle Donelan: The Department for Education is encouraging schools, as well as suppliers of goods and services to schools, to reduce their consumption of single-use plastics throughout the supply chain. Further information regarding this can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/schools-challenged-to-go-single-use-plastic-free-by-2022.We urge schools to consider finding reusable alternatives wherever possible.As part of the science curriculum, children are taught about the scientific concepts that relate to the environment. At key stage 2, pupils should explore examples of the human impact on environments, which can include the negative impact of litter. This is built upon in key stage 3 chemistry where pupils are taught about the efficacy of recycling.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Mental Health Support Teams Trailblazers in London.

Nick Gibb: The first Mental Health Support Team (MHST) trailblazer sites were announced in December 2018. The 7 Mental Health Support Team (MHSTs) sites selected in London will deliver 15 MHSTs in this first wave of implementation. They are all expected to have completed their training by the end of 2019 / early 2020 and will be fully operational following this. As a result, it is too early to assess their effectiveness in schools and colleges. A further 16 MHST sites were announced in London in 2019 (23 MHST sites in total), due to deliver a total of 41 MHSTs between them. Each team is expected to support up to 20 schools and colleges, or a population of around 8,000 children and young people. The national early evaluation of the trailblazer programme formally commenced on 1 October 2019. The protocol for the first phase of the evaluation is available at https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/16/138/31, and findings are expected to be published in Spring/Summer 2021.

Sex and Relationship Education: Greater London

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of relationship and sex education at the north west London early adopter site.

Nick Gibb: The Department is working closely with over 1600 schools across the country who are acting, on a voluntary basis, as early adopters of relationships education; relationships and sex education (RSE); and health education. As early adopters, these schools have indicated their intention to start teaching the new requirements: relationships education (for primary aged pupils), RSE (for secondary aged pupils) and health education (all pupils in state-funded schools), during the academic year 2019/20, ahead of the subjects being compulsory from September 2020. The Department has been working closely with these early adopter schools to develop a programme of support. Recently four national conferences took place (including for 229 early adopter schools based in the North West London and South Central Region), to help early adopters plan for delivery of the new subjects, and to enable the Department to learn about their current practices and assess support needs. Following feedback from the conferences, consideration is being given to what further regional support may be required. This engagement with early adopter schools is helping the Department develop its programme of support for the new subjects, which will be available to all teachers from spring 2020. The programme will focus on tools that improve schools’ practice and will offer opportunities for teachers to improve subject knowledge, build confidence and share best practice. This support will be accessed through a new online service and will include an implementation guide, which will accompany the statutory guidance, case studies from early adopter schools, and innovative materials to support staff training. We will continue to test this package with early adopter schools.

Youth Endowment Fund

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the promotion of the Youth Endowment Fund to (a) schools and (b) providers of alternative education that are eligible to apply to that fund.

Michelle Donelan: The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is a £200 million investment targeted at developing early intervention projects over 10 years to prevent young people from becoming involved in crime and serious violence, including reoffending. The fund is working with local communities to guarantee support reaches those at greatest risk. This could include issues such as children who may not be engaged with education. Through the first grant round in 2019, the YEF identified 23 successful applicants. These projects range from intensive family therapy to school mentoring programmes. The YEF will advertise future funding rounds, as well as offer regional and national events for prospective applicants when funding rounds open. The department will work with the Home Office to ensure that appropriate future rounds are publicised to all eligible bidders. More information on future rounds as well as how to apply for grants can be found on the YEF website: https://youthendowmentfund.org.uk/.

Crime Prevention: Crimes of Violence

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government response to the Consultation on a new legal duty to support a multi-agency approach to preventing and tackling serious violence, published in June 2019, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the education workforce understands their proposed new statutory duties.

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the education workforce, including staff in alternative provision, understand their role in working with other public bodies to help tackle serious youth violence, particularly in light of the proposed introduction of a new statutory duty.

Michelle Donelan: The legal duty aims to ensure key organisations in a local area collaborate in a multi-agency approach to tackle serious violence. The Department for Education is working with the Home Office to ensure that the education sector is a key part of the multi-agency partnership. We will be engaging with schools and colleges, including alternative provision institutions, and aim to publish guidance to help support education providers to understand the level of commitment the duty may place on them.

Children and Young People

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to ensure that the voices of children and young people are heard in policy making; and if he will make a statement.

Michelle Donelan: The government is committed to giving due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when making policy and legislation. This includes, in article 12 of the Convention, giving children the right to express their views in all matters affecting them. In order to help government departments give consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, we have put in place a comprehensive children’s rights training package. This package is available across the whole Civil Service and includes access to a Child Rights Impact Assessment template. The tools in the package provide a structured way for policy makers to consider how their policies will impact on children’s rights and promote the voice of the child in policy making. We continue to encourage all departments to make use of the training and template so that consideration of children’s rights is further embedded in government policy and law-making.

Children and Young People: Social Services

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the effect on vulnerable children of the reduction in central Government funding for children and young people’s services from £813 in 2010-11 per child and young person to £553 in 2017-18.

Michelle Donelan: The government is committed to improving the lives of vulnerable children.Over the 5-year period from 2015 to 2020, councils will have had access to more than £200 billion. Within that, we have seen councils prioritise spending on the most vulnerable children, with spending on child protection increasing from £2.2 billion to £2.4 billion in 2018-19.In order to help support local authorities meet rising demand, the government is providing councils with an additional £1 billion for adult and children's social care in every year of this Parliament. This is on top of the continuation of the £410 million social care grant in 2020-21.As set out in the Conservative Party’s manifesto, we will review the care system to make sure that all care placements and settings are providing children and young adults with the support they need.

Sixth Form Education: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to increase funding for sixth form students to at least £4,760 per year; and if he will make a statement.

Michelle Donelan: We are investing an extra £400 million in 16 to 19 education next year to ensure we are building the skills that our country needs. We will increase the base rate of funding by 4.7%, from £4,000 to £4,188 for the academic year 2020/21. Over and above the base rate rise, this extra spending also includes new resources for high value and high cost courses and funding to support those on level 3 programmes to continue to study English and maths where needed. This is the biggest injection of new money into 16 to 19 education in a single year since 2010, with funding increasing faster for 16 to 19 than in 5 to 16 schooling and will mean a significant increase in the average level of funding per student. We will continue to look at the needs of 16 to 19 education in future Spending Reviews.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the mental health support teams in schools established by the trailblazer programme.

Nick Gibb: The first 25 Mental Health Support Team (MHST) trailblazer sites, delivering 59 MHSTs were announced in December 2018. These MHSTs are all expected to have completed their training by the end of 2019/early 2020 and will be fully operational following this. As a result, it is too early to assess their effectiveness in schools and colleges.The national, early evaluation of the trailblazer programme formally commenced on 1 October 2019. The protocol for the first phase of the evaluation is available at https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/16/138/31, and findings are expected to be published in Spring/Summer 2021.

Sex and Relationship Education

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the new Relationship and Sex Education curriculum at the early adopter sites.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education is working closely with over 1600 schools across the country who are acting, on a voluntary basis, as early adopters of relationships education; relationships and sex education (RSE); and health education. As early adopters, these schools have indicated their intention to start teaching the new requirements: relationships education (for primary aged pupils), RSE (for secondary aged pupils) and health education (all pupils in state-funded schools), during the academic year 2019/20, ahead of the subjects being compulsory from September 2020. The Department is working closely with these early adopter schools to develop a programme of support. Recently four national conferences took place, to help early adopters plan for delivery of the new subjects, and to enable the Department to learn about their current practices and assess support needs. Following feedback from the conferences, consideration is being given to what further regional support may be required. This engagement with early adopter schools is helping the Department develop its programme of support for the new subjects, which will be available to all teachers from spring 2020. The programme will focus on tools that improve schools’ practice and will offer opportunities for teachers to improve subject knowledge, build confidence and share best practice. This support will be accessed through a new online service and will include an implementation guide, which will accompany the statutory guidance, case studies from early adopter schools, and innovative materials to support staff training. We will continue to test this package with early adopter schools.

Alternative Education: Standards

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to (a) expand alternative provision and (b) ensure that alternative provision provides education at a (a) Good or (b) Outstanding by OFSTED.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to reforming alternative provision (AP) including expanding and attracting high quality AP as an integral part of the free schools programme. We will announce the successful applicants of the current wave of AP and special Free Schools in early 2020.As of December 2019, 81% of pupil referral units, AP academies and AP free schools were rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. The Department’s reforms will continue to improve the quality of the sector, building on the good practice being tested in our £4 million AP Innovation Fund projects and learning from the effective approaches my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has seen in a number of his visits to AP institutions.

Care Leavers and Children in Care: EU Nationals

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) children in care and (b) care leavers were EU nationals in the latest period for which figures are available.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of  (a) children in care and (b) care leavers in each of the 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester are EU nationals in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michelle Donelan: The information requested is not held centrally as the department does not collect information on the nationalities of looked after children.

Financial Services: Education

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the provision of effective financial education for young people.

Nick Gibb: Since 2014 financial education has been statutory within the secondary national curriculum as part of citizenship and mathematics. Financial education ensures that pupils are taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and managing financial risk. The Ofsted inspection framework sets out how inspections take a view on the quality of the broad and balanced education that a school provides. This includes how schools provide pupils with the knowledge and skills needed to take advantage of opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life, which can include financial education, as well as how curriculum subjects such as citizenship contribute to pupils’ personal development.There are a number of organisations that support financial education for young people. Young Money recently launched a free financial education textbook for secondary schools, to support high quality teaching of the subject. We are currently working with the Money and Pension Service and HM Treasury to consider how we can support further the teaching of financial education in schools.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the level of the attainment gap between pupils (a) in receipt and (b) not in receipt of free school meals in (i) the City of York local authority area and (ii) the UK.

Nick Gibb: Assessments on the level of attainment gap between pupils who are eligible for free school meals and those not eligible for free school meals have been made at Key Stage 1 (KS1) and phonics, Key Stage 2 (KS2) and Key Stage 4 (KS4) at local authority and national level in England.The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in phonics decoding, and in English and maths at KS1 and KS2, for the City of York and England is shown in the attached table. The table shows that, in 2019, attainment was lower for pupils eligible for free school meals when compared to all other pupils. This difference was greater in York than it was in England.The percentage achieving 9-4 and 9-5 in English and mathematics at KS4 is also shown in the attached table. The table shows that, in 2018, attainment was lower for pupils eligible for free school meals when compared to all other pupils. This difference was greater in York than it was in England. 



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Children and Young People: Mental Health Services

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Education Policy Institute's Annual Report on access to child and adolescent mental health services, published on 10 January 2020; and what steps his Department will take with the Department of Health and Social Care to (a) increase the accountability of mental health providers in England and (b) reduce waiting times for their services.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education (DfE) has a joint and ambitious programme of work with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England, and Health Education England to improve children and young people’s mental health provision in and around schools and colleges. This is being achieved by delivering the proposals set out in the green paper ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision-a-green-paper.These proposals include implementing new Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in 20-25% of the country by 2023. The MHSTs will support children and young people with mild to moderate mental health issues and help children and young people with more severe needs to access the right support, and provide a link to specialist NHS services. The DfE is also funding the national roll-out of the Link Programme, from October 2019 to 2023, to improve partnership working between schools and colleges and NHS children and young people’s mental health services.The DfE has not assessed the policy implications of the Education Policy Institute’s report. The responsibility for mental health provision as considered by the report, including increasing the accountability of mental health providers in England and reducing waiting times for their services, is the responsibility of the DHSC.

Schools: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish the block allocations for (a) individual maintained schools and (b) academies for 2019-20; and for what reason the allocations will be published later in the school year than in previous years.

Nick Gibb: In previous years, school-level allocations for local authority maintained schools and academies have been published as transparency statistics in late autumn, but not to a fixed schedule.This year we will be publishing the individual school-level school’s block allocations, covering allocations for 2019-20, in the Department’s new school funding official statistics report on 30 January 2020.The Department already publishes detailed information on school funding, including full details of individual grant funding allocations issued to schools and local authorities, but we recognise that this information can be hard to understand and navigate. The aim of this new official statistics report is to help users’ understanding of this issue, and we are including the 2019-20 school-level allocations in that report.This dataset will include details of more grants than in previous years, giving a fuller picture of school-level funding for the year.

Prime Minister

COE Parliamentary Assembly: UK Delegations

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Prime Minister, what progress he has made on appointing the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Boris Johnson: Further to my Written Ministerial Statement of 20 January 2020, the Hon. Member for Bridgwater and West Somerset (Ian Liddell-Grainger) has also been appointed as a full member of the United Kingdom Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of grants awarded by Homes England to modular housing businesses over the last three years.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 09 January 2020



Homes England do not award grants directly to modular housing businesses; however, they provide support for the uptake of modern methods of construction (MMC) in a number of other ways.Our Local Authority Accelerated Construction programme aims to increase the speed of build out and use of MMC where appropriate. Homes England currently has contracts in place with local authorities for 7,514 units, all of which include some aspects of MMC.Through our £4.5 billion Home Building Fund, Homes England provide development finance to developers using MMC and have also invested directly into a MMC factory.Homes England’s MMC pilot site research programme will also allow us to benchmark a range of MMC types against traditional methods, to provide industry with much-needed data on emerging technologies.It is well recognised that new technology and innovation has improved productivity, safety, quality and choice across a range of sectors and we are keen to see the same happen in housing. This is especially true if we are to meet our environmental targets. The Government understands the value of MMC markets internationally, and that Britain could do more in this area.

Sleeping Rough: Greater London

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people have been sleeping rough in (a) Edmonton constituency, (b) Enfield borough and (c) Greater London in each year since 2010.

Luke Hall: MHCLG’s latest official annual Rough Sleeping Snapshot Statistics published on 31 January 2019 provide information about the estimated number of people sleeping rough across Local authorities in England on a single night in Autumn from 2010 – 2018.MHCLG does not collect any statistics on the number of people sleeping rough for (a) Edmonton, which is an area within the London borough of Enfield.  A breakdown of the annual rough sleeping statistics for every year from 2010 to 2018 can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics#rough-sleeping. Each publication includes a breakdown for Enfield and Greater London.This Government is clear that no one should be without a roof over their head. That is why we have committed to end rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament and to enforce the Homelessness Reduction Act.The Government has already taken important steps to prevent and reduce homelessness and rough sleeping. This includes implementing the most ambitious legislative reform in this area in decades, the Homelessness Reduction Act, which is transforming the culture of homelessness service delivery and actively prevents homelessness, meaning people will get the help they need quicker.The Government has already committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period to April 2020. In 2020/2021 we are providing a further £422 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This marks a £54 million increase on what Government provided in 2019/20 and will go towards funding important programmes such as the newly combined Rapid Rehousing Pathway / Rough Sleeping Initiative and the Flexible Homelessness Support Grant.

Housing: Sheffield Hallam

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will meet representatives from Sheffield Students Union to discuss (a) housing and (b) the number of rented houses in disrepair in the Sheffield Hallam constituency.

Esther McVey: Housing is a priority for this Government and local authorities have strong powers to tackle poor property conditions which may impact peoples’ health. A representative of my Department would be delighted to meet the Sheffield Students’ Union to discuss these important issues.

Empty Property

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to ensure that empty buildings designed for use by the elderly are brought back into use as soon as possible.

Esther McVey: Local authorities are equipped with a range of powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New Homes Bonus, they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as for building a new one. Since 1 April 2019, via the Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Act 2018, local authorities have the discretion to increase the maximum level of premium charged on properties that have been empty for more than two years from 50 per cent to 100 per cent extra council tax. In certain circumstances, local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) to temporarily take over the management of a property that has been empty for more than two years and bring it back into use The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local authorities’ plans and decisions should support efforts to identify and bring back into residential use empty homes and other buildings in general, supported by the use of compulsory purchase powers where appropriate.

Private Rented Housing: Tenancy Agreements

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to (a) review the national model tenancy agreement and (b) publish the reviewed national model tenancy agreement.

Esther McVey: We will shortly publish a revised and updated Model Tenancy Agreement on the Gov.uk website to assist tenants and landlords of assured shorthold tenancies in the private rented sector. While we will continue to update this document as required, we do not intend to conduct a fuller review, as the Government is planning a fuller overhaul of the assured shorthold tenancy framework through the Renters’ Reform Bill.

Private Rented Housing: Tenancy Agreements

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to include a consultation process in his review of the national model tenancy agreement.

Esther McVey: We intend to seek feedback from a small group of key partners on our proposed changes to the national Model Tenancy Agreement ahead of publication.

Buildings: Insulation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter from David Metcalfe and Dr Stephen Ledbetter of the Centre for Window and Cladding Technology to the Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, dated 10 May 2018, whether it was his Department's policy in 2014 that paragraph 12.7 of Approved Document B of the fire safety regulations did not apply to cladding.

Esther McVey: The Department’s position is that the core (filler) within an Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) is an “insulation material/product”, “insulation product”, and/or “filler material” as referred to in Paragraph 12.7 (“Insulation Materials/Products”) in Section 12 “Construction of external walls” of Approved Document B (Fire safety) Volume 2 Buildings other than dwelling houses.This was made clear in the letter issued by the Permanent Secretary on 22 June 2017 available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/621449/170622_letter_to_LAs_and_HAs.pdf

Buildings: Insulation

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the standard private sector ACM remediation contracts agreed with the responsible entity for each site includes clauses that (a) relate to comments on government policy and (b) seek recovery of monies from the leaseholders; and if he will place a copy the standard contract in the Library.

Esther McVey: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Insulation

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government requires each responsible entity to follow a section 20 procurement process under the 1985 Landlord and Tenant Act in relation to cladding remediation; and what guidance his Department has issued to those entities on the requirement for that process.

Esther McVey: The private sector remediation fund will protect leaseholders from bearing the cost of remediation of unsafe ACM cladding. Applicants to the fund are not required to carry out a section 20 consultation with leaseholders. Applicants should take their own legal advice on this.

Buildings: Insulation

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the costs of the sections 20 process in respect of cladding remediation will be met by the ACM cladding fund.

Esther McVey: The private sector remediation fund covers works directly related to the replacement of unsafe ACM cladding systems, including legal and managing agent fees where relevant.

Members: Correspondence

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to respond to the letter of 18 December 2019 from the hon. Member for Glasgow Central to the Minister for Housing in relation to cladding.

Esther McVey: A response will be issued very shortly.

Buildings: Insulation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2020 to Question 2550 on Flats: Fire Prevention, what assessment has he made of the effect on the wellbeing of residents of living in buildings that contain unsafe combustible cladding materials that are not eligible for funding allocated by his Department for removal.

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that building owners rather than leaseholders are financially liable for the remediation of unsafe timber cladding.

Esther McVey: We recognise the stress and strain that living in a building with unsafe cladding is causing to residents. Government intervention to provide funding for the removal and replacement for unsafe ACM cladding is wholly exceptional. It is based on the unparalleled fire risk ACM poses.Building safety is the responsibility of the building owner, and they must remedy any safety risks uncovered. Building owners should consider all routes to meet costs, protecting leaseholders where they can – for example through warranties and recovering costs from contractors for incorrect or poor work.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the number of high-rise buildings with flammable cladding.

Esther McVey: The Department publishes data on the number of high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings in England with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet building regulations. The latest data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-december-2019.The Department has also commenced a data collection exercise which will enable us to build a picture of external wall systems in use on high rise residential buildings. The exercise will collect data on residential buildings 18 metres and over covering private and social buildings, student accommodation and hotels in England. We will publish appropriate summary information from the data collection in our monthly Building Safety Programme data release in due course.

Ministry of Defence

Defence: Research

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of his Department's funding for research and development he allocated to firms in Wales in 2018.

James Heappey: Research and Development (R&D) is critical to the delivery of battle-winning capability for our Armed Forces.In 2017-18, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) net expenditure on R&D activity (identified as meeting the Frascati international definition for new, novel and innovative R&D) totalled £1.6 billion, much of it with UK industry and supply chain SMEs, sustaining many UK jobs.In 2017-18 the MOD's expenditure with UK Industry in Wales was £960 million. Defence expenditure with UK industry supported approximately 6,300 Welsh jobs in 2017-18.[1]Actual figures relating to R&D spend in the regions are not held by the Department and as such could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Further related information is available online at the following locations.MOD regional expenditure with UK industry and supported employment: 2017-18https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-with-uk-industry-and-supported-employment-201718UK gross domestic expenditure on research and development Statistical bulletins:https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/researchanddevelopmentexpenditure/bulletins/ukgrossdomesticexpenditureonresearchanddevelopment/previousReleasesUK government expenditure on science, engineering and technology Statistical bulletins:https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/researchanddevelopmentexpenditure/bulletins/ukgovernmentexpenditureonscienceengineeringandtechnology/previousReleases[1] Source: MOD regional expenditure with UK industry and supported employment: 2017/18

Artillery:: Procurement

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the report published in November 2019 by RUSI entitled, The Future of Fires, what plans he has to allocate funding from the public purse to (a) anti-tank capability, (b) 155 mm field artillery, (c) long-range precision fires and (d) ground-based air defence.

James Heappey: The Army is in the process of assessing its future requirement for an artillery system capability and has established a programme, known as Mobile Fires Platform, to refine the requirement and modernise the capability.

Firing Ranges: Closures

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK firing ranges have closed since 2015.

James Heappey: Between 1 January 2015 and 20 January 2020 183 UK Defence Ranges have been centrally recorded by the Defence Regulator as being closed.

Ministry of Defence: Families

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has a single individual who is responsible for leading on his Department's application of the Family Test.

Johnny Mercer: The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) central Families' Policy branch monitors the development and implementation of policy to assess the impact on families, will oversee implementation of future strategy and continue to have overarching responsibility for MOD's application of the Family Test. Given the wide range of policies implemented across Defence each year, no single individual could be involved in each relevant submission or policy discussion. However, MOD does have a nominated Family Test lead who forms part of the cross-Government Family Test Network which is the central forum through which MOD has contributed to improvements to the existing guidance for officials in all Departments on Family Test implementation.The Government is committed to supporting families. To achieve this, in 2014 we introduced the Family Test, which aims to ensure that impacts on family relationships are recognised early on during the process of policy development and help inform the policy decisions made by Ministers.We recognise the vital role that Armed Forces' families play, and that operational capability relies on recognising the Service person as part of a wider family unit. This is why we launched the first ever UK Armed Forces Families' Strategy in 2016, which focuses and coordinates activity to support Service families. Priorities for this work include childcare, partner employment and accommodation, which have consistently remained areas of interest for both the Service Families' Federations and the Department.A key component of the Families' Strategy is to ensure that Service families are considered in people policy development, supporting the principles outlined in the Family Test. This is achieved through consideration of the Service family as part of each relevant submission or policy discussion, and through regular engagement with the single Services and the three Families' Federations who represent the needs and views of Service families.In acknowledgement of the unique circumstances of Service life and the challenges this can present modern families, in December 2018 former Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson CBE MP commissioned Andrew Selous MP to conduct an independent review of the support provided to Service families. The independent review is expected to be published soon and will form the basis of the new Families Strategy for 2020 and beyond; as with the extant 2016 Strategy, the Government's Family Test will continue to be a critical tool for policy makers in applying the principles of the new strategy.

Ministry of Defence: Climate Change

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of climate change on the work of his Department; and what steps he is taking in response to that effect.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence recognises the need to adapt quickly to mitigate its own impact on the climate and to build resilience to new threats caused by climate change.To face this challenge, the Department has established a team to review its current position and drive progress towards the Government's target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2020 to Question 47 on Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Procurement, how much from the public purse has been spent on the tendering process for the Fleet Solid Support Ships.

James Heappey: The funding provided to conduct the Fleet Solid Support Ship Assessment Phase included provision to conduct a competition and associated activities. This work will be invaluable to any future procurement. I am, however, withholding this information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

HMS Queen Elizabeth: Early Warning Systems

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Crowsnest radar system will be operational when the Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier deploys.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence remains confident that the Merlin Mk2 helicopter, fitted with the Crowsnest system, will be available to support the first operational deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2021.

Department for Work and Pensions

Child Maintenance Service: Staff

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many members of staff have worked for the Child Maintenance Service in each year since 2013.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 20 January 2020



Please find attached the staffing information for Child maintenance Service. We are unable to provide information back to 2013 and data separating Child Maintenance Service (CMS)staffing from overall Child Maintenance Group has only been available since 2017(CMG)  CMGCMSJune 1968425684June 1869885433June 1780095238June 169421 June 1510590

Universal Credit: Yorkshire and the Humber

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has been made of the effect of the roll out of universal credit on the number of people in employment in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Will Quince: The Department successfully completed the rollout of Universal Credit in December 2018 and it is available in every Jobcentre across the country including those across the Haltemprice and Howden constituency and Yorkshire and the Humber. It is a modern, flexible, personalised system which has scrapped the ‘cliff edges’ featured across legacy benefits, where money was lost when working more than 16, 24 and 30 hours. Universal Credit provides claimants with the support they need to better prepare for work, move into work, or to increase earnings. The Universal Credit Work Allowance has been increased by £1,000 and means that 2.4m households will keep an extra £630 of income each year. The Department’s latest data for the Yorkshire and Humber region (to October 2019) shows there are over 200,000 more people in employment in the region compared with 2010. The employment rate for the Haltemprice and Howden constituency for the year 2019 was 82.6% compared with 73.8% for the region of Yorkshire and the Humber overall. This can be compared to 2010 when the employment rate for the Haltemprice and Howden constituency was 79.2% compared with 68.9% for the region of Yorkshire and the Humber overall.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of unsuccessful claims for personal independence payments were overturned at the mandatory reconsideration stage in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: Statistics on the numbers and proportions of unsuccessful claims for Person Independence Payment (PIP) following an initial PIP assessment where the award was changed at the Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) stage in the last 12 months are found in data Table 5C ‘PIP experimental statistics by period of initial decision, for initial disallowance decisions following a PIP assessment, MRs and appeals’ of the quarterly statistical publication ‘Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to October 2019’ published by the Department for Work and Pensions and available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-october-2019

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the Child Maintenance Service's policy is when a non-resident parent has overpaid child maintenance; and whether that overpayment is (a) repaid, (b) deducted from future calculations or (c) subject to another process.

Mims Davies: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a range of options to resolve overpayments of child maintenance. The course of action depends on the circumstances of the overpayment and the impact of a particular course of action on any children Involved. Where a non-resident parent (NRP) has overpaid child maintenance, the CMS will first consider allocating the overpaid amount against any arrears due on the same case or against on-going maintenance. They will then look at allocating the overpaid amount to arrears due on any other case the NRP has. If the overpayment cannot be allocated against any arrears or on-going maintenance, the Service will consider reimbursement. If a reimbursement is made, the Service will seek to recover any overpayments from the parent with care.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Child Maintenance Service includes inheritance received by non-resident parents in their maintenance calculations.

Mims Davies: Inheritance does not meet the legal definition of historic or current taxable income used for child maintenance (CM) calculation, consequently it is not included in the calculation. However, where a non-resident parent is earning income from inherited asset(s), such income could be included in the CM calculation.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's policy is for the collection of child maintenance where a person has been detained in medical care due to their mental health.

Mims Davies: Decisions about collection and enforcement action are made on a case by case basis, taking into account the welfare of all parties and using the appropriate methods which have the greatest chance of securing money for children. Where a paying parent is confirmed to be a hospital in-patient or in residential care, the Child Maintenance Service will consider whether it is appropriate to pause the collection of arrears.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many passports have been confiscated due to unpaid child maintenance under the Child Maintenance Service in each month since that power came into effect.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 20 January 2020



The total number of passports which have been immediately disqualified are 4. The months where disqualification took place were March 2019, June 2019, and 2 cases in August 2019. There are a further 3 cases for which the disqualification of a passport has been suspended pending payment. If payment is not received as directed before the end of the period of suspension, then the passport will be automatically disqualified.

Children: Maintenance

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to undertake a public consultation on changing the sequence by which deductions from benefits are ordered to ensure that child maintenance payments, if applicable, would always be one of the three possible third party deductions.

Mims Davies: The Department recognises the importance of Child Maintenance payments and these deductions are already prioritised above others such as legacy benefit overpayments of Housing Benefit, Tax Credit and DWP overpayments and Recoverable Hardship and Social Fund loans. There are no plans to consult on the sequence by which deductions from benefits are ordered.

Department for Work and Pensions: Families

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has a single individual who is responsible for leading on her Department's application of the Family Test.

Will Quince: As the lead department for the Family Test, DWP is currently leading on work to strengthen implementation of the Family Test across government. As part of this work, we set up the Family Test Network, which was designed to bring departments together to share best practice and work collaboratively to strengthen implementation of the Family Test. Each department has a Family Test lead who is part of our Family Test Network. This Network is the central forum through which we have sought input and comments on the support departments need to help with Family Test implementation. This includes Network members feeding into improvements to the existing guidance for officials in all departments on Family Test implementation.

Occupational Health: Taxation

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on making (a) early intervention mental health support and (b) physiotherapy provided by employers non-taxable benefits-in-kind.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent comparative assessment she has made of the potential benefits to (a) workers, (b) employers and (c) the NHS of providing workers who have physical and mental health conditions with (i) early access to free clinical support and (ii) 28 consecutive days of absence.

Justin Tomlinson: The government is exploring a range of policy options aiming to reduce ill-health related job loss. The consultation ‘Health is Everyone’s Business: Proposals to Reduce Ill Health-related Job Loss’ closed in October 2019.It set out proposals to boost Government support available to employers to support employees who are managing health conditions in work and to manage sickness absence more effectively. It included proposals to encourage employers to take early, sustained and proportionate steps to support a sick employee to return to work, reform Statutory Sick Pay, improve occupational health availability and improve the provision of advice and support for employers. We have received a good response from a range of stakeholders, which we are reviewing. We know that being in the right work is good for health and that being out of work can have a detrimental effect on health. In addition to working with employers to help individuals get the support they need, at the right time, to return to work, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a minimum level of income for up to 28 weeks to employees needing to take time off to recover from short-term illness. There is limited evidence to suggest that making the tax treatment more generous is the most effective way of incentivising more employers to offer occupational health provision, if the initial cost of provision is the main barrier for them.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mobility payments were awarded following an initial personal independence payment assessment scoring between zero and four points and subsequent (a) mandatory assessment and (b) appeal in the latest period for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Information for initial disallowance decisions following a PIP assessment, including the number where the award was changed after a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) or appeal is published as part of Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to October 2019, in Table 5c of Data tables: “PIP award rates, clearance/outstanding times and tracking of initial decisions following a PIP assessment through to mandatory reconsiderations or appeals, to October 2019”. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-october-2019

Food Poverty: Surveys

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on the inclusion of food insecurity questions in the Family Resources Survey; and what the timeframe is for publication of the results of that survey.

Will Quince: Food security questions were included in the Family Resources Survey questionnaire from April 2019 onwards. Data are being collected throughout the current financial year. The extent of information published will be subject to the usual quality assurance processes, which are applied to both survey responses and DWP statistical publications. If the data on food security are sufficiently robust, publication would take place in the first quarter of 2021.

Employment: Disability

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers are signatories of her Department's Disability Confident scheme.

Justin Tomlinson: The latest published figures show that, as of 31 December 2019, 15832 employers were signed up to Disability Confident.

Personal Independence Payment: Torfaen

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Torfaen constituency were refused personal independence payment in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.

Justin Tomlinson: The latest available data (to October 2019) on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims which have been disallowed (refused) at initial decision can be found in the PIP clearances table at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Office for Environmental Protection

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timeframe is for establishing the new independent Office for Environmental Protection; and what consultation process will be used to define strict new laws on air quality.

Rebecca Pow: The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) is to be operational from 1 January 2021. Subject to the passage of the Environment Bill, the OEP will therefore take on its full statutory functions from this date, including being able to receive and investigate complaints, take enforcement action, and provide scrutiny and advice including in relation to the 25 Year Environment Plan. Our Clean Air Strategy (CAS) was published in 2019 following a thorough consultation exercise and included new and ambitious goals, legislation, investment and policies to clean up our air faster and more effectively. The Environment Bill delivers key parts of this CAS including outlining how new air quality targets will be set through an open and transparent, evidence-based process, which will include seeking independent expert advice and holding a public consultation. The targets and associated technical detail will be set in a statutory instrument via the affirmative procedure, and both Houses of Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise and debate the details and ambition of the targets before they are finalised.

Alcoholic Drinks: Exports

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of (a) beer, (b) gin, (c) whisky, (d) made-wines and (e) cider produced in the UK was exported in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

George Eustice: Her Majesty’s Government do not collate official statistics of total production in all alcohol categories, and export figures include some re-exported alcohol, especially in the wine category. In 2018 values of £4.8 billion pounds worth of whisky, £620 million pounds of gin and geneva, and £64 million pounds of cider and other fermented beverages were exported. In each case these are the highest values in the last five years for which figures are available. £489 million pounds worth of beer was exported in 2018.

Food: West Midlands

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to support the food and beverage sector in the West Midlands.

George Eustice: The Government works closely with the full spectrum of food and drink businesses across the country to promote growth, jobs, productivity and exports. As elsewhere, we engage with businesses in the West Midlands, both directly and through trade associations and other businesses groups, to support them in their efforts to: address economic challenges; understand and mitigate regulatory and compliance issues and; prepare successfully for EU exit. This includes recent collaboration with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) such as the Marches LEP, with which the Government has run a number of successful industry events.

Agricultural Products: Trade Promotion

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential effectiveness of a campaign entitled Brand UK to promote British agri-food products after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Food and drink exports are a success story, increasing by 24% since 2010. The Government is determined to help showcase and promote our excellent food and drink even more in the years to come.The UK’s growing reputation for quality food and drink, with high standards of food safety, animal welfare and sustainability is an excellent platform to increase demand for our products still further. The Government is already promoting UK food and drink products very effectively through Defra’s ‘Food is GREAT’ campaign. The campaign helps raise the profile and reputation of UK food and drink overseas, by building global demand and increasing positive perceptions of our food and drink products. The campaign promotes excellent food and drink products from across the four nations of the UK. Most recently, the campaign showcased Northern Irish gin, Scotch Whisky, Welsh seafood and English Sparkling Wine to Japanese consumers, trade and media in events coinciding with the Rugby World Cup. The campaign is also active in other priority markets including the USA and China, as well as within the UK.

Fireworks: Environment Protection

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the effect of fireworks on the local environment.

Rebecca Pow: The Fireworks Act 2003 and the Fireworks Regulations 2004 govern the use of fireworks, including possession of fireworks and the use of fireworks between certain hours. The enforcement of the Fireworks Regulations is the responsibility of the police, and responsibility for the legislation lies with Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. The Office for Product Safety and Standards has been working to develop a fact-based evidence base on the key issues that have been raised around fireworks, which includes environmental impact. The aim of the evidence base is to build a full picture of the data around fireworks in order to identify what action - if any - is appropriate.

Home Office

Crime: Retail Trade

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds information on satisfaction levels of retailers in relation to the police response to crime on their premises.

Kit Malthouse: Results from the Home Office’s ‘Commercial Victimisation Survey’ include information on business premises’ satisfaction levels with how police handle crime in the local area.Police satisfaction estimates are broken down by sector and are available for the Wholesale and retail sector. The latest estimates can be found here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/828760/crime-against-businesses-other-2018-tables.odsIn addition, last year the Home Office launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff to help strengthen our understanding of the scale and extent of the issue. The call for evidence has now closed and we are carefully analysing the responses before deciding what further action may be required. We intend to publish the Government’s response in due course.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit's report entitled Not so straightforward, published 8 November 2019, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a declaratory system under the EU Settlement Scheme for EU (a) children in care and (b) care leavers.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure children of EU citizens living in care and care leavers will not become undocumented if they are unable to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme before the deadline.

Brandon Lewis: A declaratory system would significantly reduce the incentive to apply for status and receive documentation proving that status. It risks creating confusion among employers and service providers and will have the effect of impeding EU citizens access to benefits and services to which they are entitled. It could lead to resident EEA citizens who have not applied for a document being discriminated against compared to those to have been documented. And if such a system were applied only to certain cohorts of EEA citizens, such as looked after children, they would be put at the greatest risk of suffering such discrimination.Children who have do not apply because their parent or guardian did not submit an application on their behalf can submit a late application. This includes children in care and care leavers.The Home Office has been engaging with relevant stakeholders such as the Department for Education, Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Children’s Services to assess the needs of this group and ensure they are supported.The Home Office has issued a series of letters to all Directors of Children Services making recommendations about the activity local authorities and their staff need to undertake to make applications to EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) for looked after children and care leavers. Identifying the eligible cohort of children and care leavers was one of the recommendations, along with identifying resource to manage this work stream.These recommendations have been followed up with a round of teleconferences aimed directly at local authorities and Health and Social Care Trusts to find further information about EUSS and to share information with colleagues across the UK. The aim of the teleconferences is to monitor the level of take up to the scheme and to surface early any problems a local authority might be experiencing. These calls will continue through the lifetime of the EUSS.A New Burdens Assessment has also been produced in collaboration with key stakeholders representing local authorities and children’s social services to ensure local authorities are funded to identify and support eligible EEA children and family members in care and care leavers.

Reoffenders

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people arrested for violent offences in each of the last 10 years have previously served a prison term.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of arrests made by each police force in England and Wales for violence against the person offences.Data are published in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, the latest of which can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2019Data on the number of people arrested for violent offences that have previously served a prison term is not included in this collection.

Retail Trade: Crimes of Violence

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish its response to the Violence and abuse toward shop staff: call for evidence, which was published on 5 April 2019.

Kit Malthouse: The Government recognises the damaging impact that violence and abuse can have on victims, businesses, and the wider community; and we are committed to tackling this issue.To ensure that our response to retail crime is as robust as possible we work with a wide range of partners through the National Retail Crime Steering Group, including the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and British Retail Consortium.In addition, we launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff to help strengthen our understanding of the scale and extent of the issue. The call for evidence has now closed and we are carefully analysing the responses before deciding what further action may be required. We intend to publish the government’s response in due course.

Wales Office

Borders and Customs: Northern Ireland

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of customs and border checks between Northern Ireland and Great Britain on (a) Wales and the (b) Welsh economy.

Simon Hart: I discuss a range of issues with my Cabinet colleagues, including EU Exit. The Government is committed to ensuring unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods to the market in Great Britain including Wales. That is why the Government negotiated hard with the European Union to secure explicit wording in the text of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland that means nothing within it prevents the Government from ensuring unfettered access for goods moving from Northern Ireland to other parts of the UK’s internal market including Wales. As set out in the agreed New Decade, New Approach deal, the Government will legislate to guarantee unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s businesses to the whole of the UK internal market, and ensure that this legislation is in force for 1 January 2021. The Prime Minister has been clear that, beyond our obligations under international law, there will be no new checks and processes on the movement of goods from Northern Ireland to GB. When discussing the protocol with the EU, the UK will be ambitious on how flexible we can make this system.

Cabinet Office

*No heading*

Dr Rupa Huq: What estimate he has made of the number of voters at risk of becoming disenfranchised as a result of the proposals for voter ID requirements contained in the Queen’s Speech.

Abena Oppong-Asare: What estimate he has made of the number of voters at risk of becoming disenfranchised as a result of the proposals for voter ID requirements contained in the Queen’s Speech.

Chloe Smith: No one will be disenfranchised by confirming who they are. These are sensible plans to make our elections more secure. Everyone registered to vote will have the opportunity to do so. Any voter who does not have an approved form of ID will be able to apply, free of charge, for an electoral ID from their local authority.Both the pilots and the Northern Irish experience demonstrate that showing ID does not reduce participation.

*No heading*

Martin Vickers: What plans he has to move public sector jobs out of London and the South East.

Jeremy Quin: We are clear that the Government needs to be less London-centric and should reflect the nation it serves. The Cabinet Office’s Places for Growth programme has been established to drive the relocation of roles out of London into the regions and nations of the United Kingdom.So far the Programme has identified over 3,000 roles in arms length bodies for relocation, over a phased timetable and we will continue to push ahead with these plans as part of the next Spending Review.

Treasury

Living Wage

Grahame Morris: What steps he is taking to ensure Departments have adequate funding to the pay the increase in the National Living Wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019.

Rishi Sunak: Spending Round 2019 delivered the fastest planned increase in day-to-day departmental spending in 15 years. Resource spending is set to rise by 4.1% in real terms from 2019-20 to 2020-21. As usual, departments are responsible for managing changes to pay. Where this policy change might have cost implications in years beyond 2020-21, these should be incorporated into departments’ workforce strategies and will be considered at the Spending Review in 2020 alongside other bids and pressures in their budgets.

Exports: VAT

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress the Government has made in digitalising fully the Retail Export Scheme to reduce the administrative burden to travellers, as announced in the Autumn Statement 2016, and what the timetable is for that digitalisation to be delivered.

Jesse Norman: HMRC are continuing to build on the work undertaken following the announcement at Autumn Statement 2016 about plans to modernise the VAT Retail Export Scheme (RES).

Exports: VAT

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many organisations responded to HMRC's consultation entitled VAT Retail Export Scheme:  Improvements, which closed on 6 September 2019; and when the outcome of that consultation will be published.

Jesse Norman: HM Revenue and Customs have been exploring the scope to modernise the VAT Retail Export Scheme and invited stakeholder feedback on emerging proposals. Twenty-three organisations responded to HMRC’s letter entitled VAT Retail Export Scheme: Improvements. HMRC have no plans to publish a summary of the responses.

Exports: VAT

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure a level playing field on tax free shopping between UK and EU retailers in relation to UK consumers after the UK leaves the EU.

Jesse Norman: During the transitional period there will be no change to tax-free shopping arrangements in the UK. As with all aspects of the tax system, the Government will keep this under review.

Exports: VAT

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether UK citizens will be entitled to shop tax free in EU member states at the end of the transition period on 31 January 2020.

Jesse Norman: During the transitional period which ends on 31 December 2020, there will be no change to the VAT Retail Export Scheme and so UK citizens will not be eligible to use this scheme. How the scheme will operate after the transitional period will depend on the outcome of negotiations on the UK’s future relationship with the EU.

Air Passenger Duty

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of Air Passenger Duty tax collected is ring-fenced for climate change policies.

Mr Simon Clarke: As with most taxes, the revenue raised from Air Passenger Duty goes towards the Consolidated Fund, which is used to finance public services and the Government’s priorities, including tackling climate change. The government takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and uses a range of levers at its disposal, including spending, taxation and regulatory policy, to meet its climate and environmental objectives.

Productivity

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of funding allocated from the public purse to education in each region on the level of productivity in those regions.

Mr Simon Clarke: When considering funding for public services, including education, the government considers a range of factors as a matter of course, including the impact on regional productivity. The Government is committed to uniting and levelling up, spreading opportunity across the whole of the UK - we are looking at how best to do this and I will set out more details in due course.

Infrastructure: Finance

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 3 September 2019 to Question 281813 on Infrastructure, when the Government plans to publish its National Infrastructure Strategy.

Jesse Norman: Infrastructure is a top priority for the Government, and is essential for jobs, growth, and supporting a high quality of life. The Government will be publishing the National Infrastructure Strategy alongside the Budget. The Strategy will set out further details of the Government’s plan to increase investment to transform the UK’s infrastructure; in addition to a response to the National Infrastructure Commission’s recommendations.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Islam: Religious Hatred

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to include steps to tackle Islamophobia in the forthcoming online harms Bill.

Matt Warman: Anti-Muslim hatred is completely unacceptable and has no place in our society. The Online Harms White Paper will establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards their users, overseen by an independent regulator. Companies will be held to account for tackling harms occurring on their platforms, including hate crime. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has the cross-government lead on countering anti-Muslim hatred, and we will continue to work with them closely on this policy. The Secretary of State is looking to bring forward online harms legislation as quickly as possibleWe are also ensuring that the criminal law is fit for purpose to deal with online harms. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport and the Ministry of Justice have now engaged the Law Commission on a second phase of their review of abusive and offensive online communications. The Law Commission will review existing communications offences and make specific recommendations about options for legal reform in a final report in 2021.The Law Commission is also looking into the adequacy of protection offered by hate crime legislation. This strand of work is expected to report in 2021.

BBC

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to review the (a) TV licence fee and (b) BBC Charter; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Adams: The Government has no plans to review the BBC Charter ahead of the next Charter Review, which is due to take place ahead of 2027.The government has committed to maintain the licence fee funding model for the BBC until 2027 for the duration of this 11 year Charter period.The Prime Minister has indicated that the Government will consider the licence fee funding model in the long term.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Families

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has a single individual who is responsible for leading her Department's application of the Family Test.

Nigel Adams: Each department has a Family Test lead who is part of our Family Test Network. This Network is the central forum through which we have sought input and comments on the support departments need to help with Family Test implementationThis includes Network members feeding into improvements to DWP and the existing guidance for officials in all departments on Family Test implementation.

Television: Licensing

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the BBC on its decision not to provide free TV licences to people aged over 75 that are not in receipt of pension credit.

Nigel Adams: The Secretary of State has met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and the Director-General of the BBC and asked them to do more to help those affected by its decision.The Government is disappointed with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit.We recognise the value of free TV licences for over 75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC.

Databases: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress he is making with the National Data Strategy; and what the timeframe is for its publication.

Nigel Adams: Following stakeholder engagement and a public-facing call for evidence in 2019, DCMS is continuing to lead cross-government work to progress the UK's National Data Strategy. In the coming months, a workable timeframe for the publication and implementation of the Strategy will be agreed with colleagues across government, so that we can fully and responsibly unlock the power of data, for people and organisations across the UK.

Charities

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of New Philanthropy Capital's report entitled, Where are England’s charities?, published 16 January 2020.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to New Philanthropy Capital's report entitled Where are England’s charities?, published 16 January 2020, what steps he is taking to support an increase in (a) charities and (b) formal volunteering in the least affluent areas of England.

Helen Whately: Civil Society is a vital part of our nation and continues to grow in importance - there are 6,000 more registered charities today than there were in 2010 and annual sector income has grown from £54 billion to £77 billion.Government recognises the importance and value of civil society, which is why the Civil Society Strategy was published in 2018, setting out a long term vision of how the Government can work with and for civil society to benefit our communities.The Department has noted New Philanthropy Capital’s report and the Minister for Civil Society, who sits in the House of Lords, will meet the report’s author and will discuss its findings.